Kairana : A UP town remembered for all the wrong reasons

Kairana is often in the news for the communal riots that take place in the town. However, we are on the verge of forgetting that it is the birth place of one of the greatest gharanas of Indian classical music.

Kairana is a small town, located in the Shamli district of western part of Uttar Pradesh

Shamli district is part of Muzaffarnagar, which was the seat of communal riots, in the recent past

These days, it is the tales of so-called religious violence that keeps Kairana in the news

It has always been the birth place of one of the most popular and culturally enriched gharanas of classical music of India.

Kairana, the small town of Uttar Pradesh has been in the news for the apparently nonviable conditions it possesses for its Hindu residents. The Vishwa Hindu Parishadhas strengthened its claim by saying that the Hindus live in deplorable state over there and almost have to flee from there to shield themselves from the torture that the Muslims inflict upon them. Journalists who have visited Kairana have found these accusations to be untrue and have failed to get hold of proofs that may give legitimacy to the claims of the VHP.

Bhimsen Joshi with others. Image Courtesy : Wikimedia Commons

What has almost ebbed away from our memory is that Kairana used to be the seat of one of the most prominent gharanas of Indian classical music. It has given birth to stalwarts of classical music like Bhimsen Joshi,who is the only recipient of Bharat Ratna in the category of male vocalist. Joshi was the composer of the renowned song “Rag Miya Ki Malhar”, an indelible piece of musical genius.

Ustad Karim Khan. Image Courtesy : Wikimedia Commons

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, the revolutionary of the Kairana Gharanaof Indian classical music, was employed by the Gaekwards in their court for his unparalleled musical brilliance. Bhimsen Joshi had stated that the reason he pursued Indian classical music was the Ustad himself. His children, Hirabai Barodekar, Sureshbabu Mane and Saraswati Rane were eminent musicians of Kairana Gharana, after him. Even after the independence of India, Karim Khan and his Kairana gharana’s legacy carried on and spread through India. Kairana gharana came to be known as the perfect amalgamation of the music of the north and the south.

It is said that Ustad Abdul Karim Khan spent his last days in Miraj, Maharashtra. Every year, the place erupts in musical celebrations to remember the maestro. It serves as a grand attraction to the biggest names in classical music today.

Kairana, thus, had been a place where music had kept the Hindus and the Muslims united from the very beginning. The elders of the town say that there was friendly relations between both the communities in Kairana. Nobody was aware of their religious identity, they were more acclimatised with their caste identities. But now things have changed, now, people have been made aware of their religious identities which have led to a lot of bad blood between the Hindus and the Muslims of the region.

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo on Thursday announced an additional investment of Rs 4,000 crore over a period of four years for opening a new manufacturing plant on the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh that will generate 5,000 jobs in its first phase of expansion.
The new 169-acre land has been acquired near the existing 50-acre manufacturing facility that will help expand Vivo’s manufacturing capabilities and support its continued growth in the country, the company said in a statement.

The Rs 4,000-crore investment, which does not include the cost of the land, will also spur job opportunities in the region, added Vivo that entered India in 2014.

“India is a key market for us, and today we have reiterated our commitment by entering the next phase of growth in India. We’re proud that the new plant will offer a major benefit to the surrounding area through high-quality job creation and training opportunities,” said Nipun Marya, Director-Brand Strategy, Vivo India.

According to the company, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed the initiative and congratulated it.

Currently, all Vivo smartphones sold in the country are being manufactured at the Greater Noida facility, which is one of Vivo’s four manufacturing factories globally.

The existing manufacturing set-up, which saw an investment of Rs 300 crore, produces two million units a month, with more than 5,000 people at work.

With the new facility, Vivo aims to double the current production capacity to 50 million units per annum.

Currently, all Vivo smartphones sold in the country are being manufactured at the Greater Noida facility, which is one of Vivo’s four manufacturing factories globally.

This is the second big-ticket investment from a global smartphone maker in Uttar Pradesh.

In 2017, Samsung announced that it would invest Rs 4,915 crore to double its manufacturing capacity for smartphones and refrigerators at its Noida plant.

The South Korean giant in July set up one of the world’s largest mobile manufacturing facilities in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

When it comes to Vivo, the company was third with 10 per cent market share in India, after Xiaomi and Samsung, in the third quarter this year. Vivo performed exceedingly well in offline channels, said Counterpoint Research.

Marya told IANS in a recent interview that in terms of value, Vivo is the leader in the Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000 segment and overall No. 2 in the Indian smartphone market for the past 18 months.

According to him, the brand awareness of Vivo, which bagged the title sponsorship for five consecutive sessions of Indian Premier League (IPL) starting this year with a whopping Rs 2,199 crore bid, is 100 per cent.

There are currently more than 70,000 retailers in India where Vivo phones are available and the company has more than 200 exclusive stores and two experience centres.

“When we entered India, we were very clear that we wanted to build a very strong foundation here. And four years after entering the Indian market, we stay totally committed to the country,” he said. (IANS)